High school basketball: Dundee-Crown storms back in 2nd half to beat McHenry

CARPENTERSVILLE – Dundee-Crown suffered through a frigid first half Friday against McHenry, making only 5 of 25 shots from the field while falling behind, 24-15, at halftime.

The Chargers picked it up considerably in the second half, shooting 60.8% (14 for 23), and it was what they did on those missed shots that was just as important as the ones that went in.

Led by 6-foot-3 Kennon Clark and 6-6 Justin Prusko, the Chargers took control of the game by dominating in the paint. They scored 15 of their 21 points in the third quarter on second chances, erasing an 11-point deficit on their way to a 52-43 Fox Valley Conference victory.

“I knew I could get rebounds and go up with it and score in the paint,” Cook said. “That’s what I’m comfortable at. Coach [Lance Huber] said [at halftime] we need to bust our butt to get back on defense, make sure we contest the shots, and get rebounds.”

Nobody did that better than Cook, who finished with a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Prusko added seven rebounds, and Douglas Miller Jr. had six as the Chargers outrebounded the Warriors, 37-23.

Only a sophomore, Cook scored two of those putback baskets during a 14-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters that turned a 32-24 McHenry lead into a 38-32 D-C advantage.

“He played like we thought he could play the last couple years,” Huber said. “He didn’t have the best JV game Monday, and we kind of got on him in practice and he really, really responded. I thought he had his best game, and it correlated to how he practiced. We’re excited for him and looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

McHenry (2-8, 1-4) started fast, never trailing in the first half. The Warriors took their biggest lead at 29-18 on a corner 3-pointer from Brett Loeding early in the third quarter.

Dundee-Crown (5-3, 2-2) outscored the Warriors, 21-8, in the third quarter and 37-19 in the second half. Leading, 40-37, midway through the fourth quarter, the Chargers scored the next eight points, starting with a Cook putback and capped by Vincent Mercado’s 3 to go up, 48-37, with two minutes left.

Prusko and Kyle Huber also scored in double figures for the Chargers with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

“We’re making strides,” Lance Huber said. “We’re kind of figuring out who we have and what we can be. Sometimes I think the guys have a little more gas in the tank than what they are showing. We have to get guys out of their comfort zone a little.”

Loeding paced McHenry with 10 points and five rebounds. Anthony Fowler and Carter Foat both scored eight points.

While Dundee-Crown heads to DeKalb next week for tournament play, the Warriors travel to Maine East.

“Lance [Huber’s] teams are always so good at screening and rebounding,” McHenry coach Chris Madson said. “Matchup nightmare for us. Our tallest guy is 6-1 on a good day. Cook is a fantastic athlete even as a sophomore. He’s going to be a man out there pretty soon if he isn’t already.”